Sad and Scary Cades Cove Bike Ride Last Night

Let me say if you are a dog lover you may not want to continue reading this as it could be a bit disturbing.

I set out just before dark tonight with 3 friends, Matt, Daniel, and Bill, to ride the Cades Cove Loop. The first half of the loop was very pleasant maybe a bit chilly but very fun to ride once all the cars had passed thru. While the views may not be great biking the cove after dark is a whole different experience that is certainly different than the usual daytime car trip. We saw lots of deer in the fields many very close to the road and a few large bucks. Most of them were sitting in the fields and less were on the move. We stopped off to hike the .5 mile walk to the Elijah Oliver cabin with flashlights in hand. That was a fun short hike as we checked out the cabins and out buildings in the dark. By this time it was getting pretty late and we were probably the only ones left in the cove at least we saw no one else.

The excitement came when we decided to ride our bikes down towards Cable Mill to check out the mill in the dark. We got about half way down the parking lot and saw a small dog run across the road. Believe it or not it was a small Jack Russell terrier and even had a collar on. Obviously it had been a pet that got away from some tourists at some point. Bill and Daniel stayed behind as Matt and I tried to see if we could catch the dog in order to help it. We were strategizing what could we do since we were on bicycles but Matt had some rope and we had the idea of possibly catching the little dog and tying it to the rail at the gift shop so that when the park employees came in the morning they would find it. We were many miles from the cove entrance so it would have been very difficult to get the dog out on our bikes unless it was really docile. We chased it into a nearby field with very tall grass and my friend Matt dove and actually managed to catch the dog. The dog was obviously scared and possibly had been out there for many days as it went absolutely crazy. It bit Matt and when I caught up to him he was bleeding from one hand but still holding onto the dog with the other hand. The dog was yelping and screaming in fear since we had a hold of it. It was also very viciously trying to bite us. Matt went back to get some rope and I tried to keep the dog there but it was lunging at me and biting my jacket,.bike helmet, and anything I put in between it and me. I tried to talk soothing and reassure the dog but it only yelped and howled louder in between biting fits.

Then the scary part began... All of a sudden we heard other dog like howling from a distance in the woods. The best I can figure is this little dog howling and screaming so loud had woke up every coyote in the West end of the cove. The woods all around us absolutely came alive with the sounds of coyotes howling. Now I have heard this when camping before and never been scared but this time it did scare me. It sounded like there must have been many dozens of them howling. They were now much louder than the little dog and were drowning it out. Worse thing was they were clearly getting closer and closer to us attracted by the little dogs howl. Unfortunately in the confusion the Jack Russell got away again and we, being bloodied and scared now with all these Coyotes bearing down on us, decided it was very much in our best interest if we left. I have to say it didn't sound like a concentrated pack but almost like the woods came alive with 40 or 50 individual coyotes in different locations and all of them were closing very fast to see what was going on. Words cannot describe what we heard and felt. We wondered if we had managed to tie the dog up if they wouldn't have just killed it on the spot.

The four of us got back onto our bikes and left the area fast. We were all really surprised at how quick the Coyotes responded and the shear number that we heard spooked us. Coyotes are scared of people and I am sure that the Coyotes would have backed off once they saw we were there but it was scary nonetheless. We stopped a bit past the Parsons branch turn off to bandage Matt's hand and recount what had just happened. I am still sitting here in kind of shock. Looking back now I think we should have left the dog alone but we thought we had to try and help it. I did learn that helping a dog on the side of the road in town is a far cry from what you may face trying to do the same out there at night. It just boggles my mind at the swift and scary response that nature had in store for us in that situation. I will say that my friend Matt is pretty brave to have jumped on and caught that dog since we didn't know how it would respond and the response just ended up being the worst case. We made it out fine of course with no further excitment but that little Jack Russell is still out there tonight somewhere near Cable Mill :(

I'm the bitten and bloodied Matt. I just have to say that I wasn't quite as valiant as Adam lets on. I was wearing leather gloves and the dog bite was more of a pinch that broke the skin. Say, does anyone know what a rabies infection feels like?

The experience was every bit as scary as Adam is describing. It was a really fun ride. It's not every day your adrenaline gets pumping like that.

I think I'd be going to see the doctor about that dog bite! Did you let the rangers know about the lost dog? You guys are awfully brave! Was the moon pretty bright that night? Also I think leaving an animal tied up all night would most certainly make it an appealing meal for any meat eating animal. Last summer when on the hayride, the ranger told us about a deer being caught by a bear and killed in front of the whole group, but said that is what they do, that is nature. So I guess that little dog has been pretty lucky, or not out there too long. I feel for it's owner, but aren't dogs suppose to be on a leash at all times in the park?

Hey Debbie yeah we called the ranger station just a while ago thanks to your post and they are going to see if they can find the dog since it bit Matt. It was fairly bright out but we all four had headlamps and lights on our bikes as well. I wonder if the dog got out of someones car at Cable Mill and they just couldn't get it back. You are right leaving it tied up probably wouldn't have been a good idea I don't know what we were thinking. In hindsight since we were on bikes I think we should have left it alone and just told the rangers when we got back around. We biked the cove at night back in the spring too and it was a very uneventful trip compared to this one. Didn't see any bears on either trip but I have seen some biking the cove during the day.

Adam, You guys certainly are braver than I am. I feel that rabies shots should be in Matt's immediate future for sure since it did break the skin. I would never make a good gambler :) ....please let us know if the Rangers let you know if they find the dog. You certainly compose well----I felt like I was there hearing all the yelping!!!!! My husband bought red pepper spray for his walks around the neighborhood from the Happy Hiker. Gives some sense of protection, but I'm afraid not from a pack of wild dogs etc. Would need a PRESSURE HOSE FULL :)

Hi guys, Frank's wife here. Being an animal lover has it's negative consequences sometimes. When we were newly married I was attempting to "save" a stray kitten and it bit me and when my brother tried to help me with it, the kitten bit him, too. My brother was in the AF and we went to the hospital on base and were treated for the bites, not serious ones, and they gave us 10 days to find the kitten so they could check for rabies. Needless to say, we didn't find the kitten and we both had to have a series of rabies shots. If that dog bit through the glove and broke your skin, don't take the chance it probably wasn't sick. You can't tell by looking at an animal if it carris rabies until it is dying then it's too late. Same with people. By the time you show symptoms it could well be too late to help you. The shots now are not as bad as they were when we had them. We had one a day for 14 days in our tummies but they are much improved now, but even if they weren't, we're talking about your LIFE or DEATH. Please seek treatment and don't put it off. Hopefully, the rangers will see the puppy again and be able to catch him but you can't count on that and you can't just assume he was perfectly healthy. Kudos for you guys trying to help this doggie and I'm glad the coyotes didn't see you guys as a snack.

Thanks for the concern. I didn't go to the doctor. I think I'll be fine. It's healing very nicely. I'm pretty sure that the dog had had it's shots. It was a very young, healthy purebred dog. At it's size it wouldn't have lasted anytime around all of those coyotes, and it had no bites or wounds. Rabies is extremely rare (something like 48 human cases since 80-something) and is nearly always contracted from bats. I think I'll be ok.

Tommy, Thanks for the info...I was just repeating what the ranger told the whole hayride wagon full of us,I should know by now that they don't always tell the truth. It was in late June. Yes, I'd like to read your article. And thanks for setting me straight. I did a research paper on Elkmont last year and was surprised by the information I learned that was nothing like what some of the park service tell you. My e-mail is debwhit@hughes.net Thanks, Debbie

Hey Tommy I would like a copy of your article as well if you don't mind. I really wasn't aware that there was a decline in the deer population in Cades Cove and I sure can't understand why that would be happening. The deer population seems like it is growing outside the park. On our Thursday night ride I saw the second most deer that I have ever seen there. It was dark but shining our lights in literally every field we would see dozens of deer sitting on the ground eyes glowing back at our flashlights. However, I did drive thru the cove a month ago during the day and didn't see a single deer which was the first time I hadn't seen any.

Got a call from the park ranger at Cades Cove this afternoon. He said they caught the dog. It had a pretty bad bite on the inside of it's back leg. He said the skin was missing. That wasn't there when we saw the dog on Thursday night. I'm surprised it survived, especially if it got attacked by Coyotes. Anyway, he said the dog had no tags besides that red/pink collar, and there's no way to contact the owners. The dog will be taken to a shelter in Maryville. He said they'd ask if the shelter could keep it for observation (rabies) but he didn't know if they'd do that.

I'm glad they found the dog! I still wonder why it's owner never bothered letting the park service know that they lost it so they could be contacted if the dog was found.I would of done all I could to find the dog if it was my pet !For your sake, I sure hope it doesn't have rabies!

Hey Adam,
Hope you and your friends are recovering from your encounter with the little dog. As a dog lover, I thank you for trying to help this little guy. Just wanted to share with you that I had a similar experience while walking in Cades Cove one evening, except it did not involve a dog. It was right at dusk and it was very quiet, as all traffic was gone. While walking in this field I came upon several large bucks. They were contently feeding and not paying much attention to me. All of a sudden I heard a Coyote, and then another and another. They were all around me in that field, but I never saw them. It was quite scary. By this time the mists was rising and it was almost like a scene from some scary movie. However, my indication that all was well was by how the buck's responded to the Coyote's. They were not bothered at all, so I continued my walk and had another wonderful mountain memory to add to my journal.